NL West

Now Commenting On:

With Braves, Janish faces club that drafted him

With Braves, Janish faces club that drafted him

Email

Print

By Eric Single
/
MLB.com |

ATLANTA -- Infielder Paul Janish hardly noticed that his entrance as a ninth-inning defensive replacement in Thursday night's game against the Reds marked his first Major League appearance against the team with which he spent the first eight years of his professional career.

A fifth-round selection by Cincinnati in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, Janish played parts of four seasons with the Reds before being traded to Atlanta on July 14, 2012.

"Some of my best friends in baseball are over there, so it wasn't too weird," Janish said. "It was good to see everybody, go say hello and all that stuff."

Janish has maintained a good relationship with the Cincinnati coaching staff and Reds regulars such as Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, but he also recalled crossing paths with outfielder Chris Heisey and catcher Corky Miller within the Reds' Minor League system.

"I definitely went out there early the last couple of days to try to catch up, especially with [manager] Dusty [Baker] and some of the coaches," Janish said. "It's good to see everybody, no doubt about it."

Eric Single is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.